On the morning of 11 March 1941, the hotel lived through its most shattering moments when a tremendous explosion shook the hotel lobby, evidently from a bomb planted in a suitcase by pro-Nazi saboteurs.

''People ran from their rooms shouting that the Germans had come,'' one historian later wrote. ''The whole neighborhood shook and windows were broken in all directions. The first floor of the hotel was in shambles, with furniture blown across the lobby. The elevator collapsed, its cable cut. Six people were dead and another 25 had been injured."

Two women attached to the British Diplomatic staff were included in the loss of life:

The other four unfortunate casualties were Turks, instantly killed, which included two porters. Armstrong was the British Legation Stenographer and Ellis was Minister George Rendel's Private Secretary.

"ISTANBUL, Turkey, March 12 -- Last night's bomb explosion in the British-occupied Pera Palace Hotel, just after the arrival of the British diplomatic mission from Sofia, has caused extraordinary indignation in Istanbul."

NEW YORK TIMES 13 MARCH 1941

"BLAST IN ISTANBUL LAID TO TERRORISTS; Bombing of British Diplomats Said to Be Work of Gestapo and Bulgarian AssassinsSECOND EXPLOSION FOILED -Englishman Hurls Bag With Infernal Machine Inside From Hotel Window. "

One of the central figures to this explosive incident, the "Englishman", was a 36 old Legation clerk to the Air Attache, Mr. Stanley Embury.

STANLEY ARTHUR PATRICK EMBURY M.B.E.

b.28/10/1905 in London, U.K.

From a passport issued to him in February 1943 in Teheran.

Embury's MBE & King George VI General Service Medal with clasp for PALESTINE 1945-48

Naming on the KGVI General Service Medal

S.A.P. EMBURY M.B.E.

Letter from the AIR MINISTRY signed by Sir Arthur Street, wherein he informs Embury of his MBE award.(See transcript below the pic).

".....AIR MINISTRY

LONDON

23rd July, 1941

Sir, I am commanded by the Air Council to inform

you that His majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve your appointment to be a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) for the courage and initiative which you displayed on 11th March last on the occasion of the arrival at Istanbul of the British Legation Party from Sofia, when a suitcase containing bombs was discovered among their luggage...........

"The bomb was contained in one of two suitcases which were surreptitiously added to the hand luggage of the British Legation Party before it left Sofia.

As a result of a careful enquiry the following facts have been established. The stage at which these cases were added to the luggage is not yet clearly established, but it seems probable that they were brought to the legation and treated as belonging to some member of the party.

"BATTERIES" DISCOVERED

Mr, S.A. Embury and Mr. D. de Bethal, clerks to the Air Attache and Military Attache respectively, took charge of the suitcases but, having been unable to find any owners for them after a change of carriages at the frontier station at Svilengrad, they opened, they appeared to contain dirty clothing, shaving materials, old Turkish newspapers (which may been intended to throw suspicion on some Turkish national), and in one case one and in the other case two electric dry batteries.

The case which contained two batteries was taken to the Pera Palace by Mr. de Bethal. That which contained one was taken to the Alp Hotel by Mr. Embury. Mr Embury was on his way to the Pera Palace Hotel to see Mr. de Bethal when he heard the explosion. On seeing the results of the explosion it occurred to him that what had appeared to be dry batteries in the suitcase might in fact be bombs of enemy origin. With the utmost presence of mind, he hurried back to his hotel, opened the suitcase containing the single battery and threw the battery into a pit in some open ground nearby thus probably averting a second disaster.

MEANT TO WRECK TRAIN

The Turkish police were immediately informed. They retrieved the battery and removed what turned out to be a fuse. It was in fact a bomb filled with a powerful charge of TNT. Therefore it is clear that powerful bombs had been added to the luggage of the legation party by some hostile agent before the party left Sofia.

It appears probable that the intention was that they should explode in the train, which would have been wrecked with great loss of life. The escape of the majority of the members of the party is providential and the greatest credit is due to Mr. Embury for his courageous action and presence of mind."

***********

Numerous letters/documents in the EMBURY collection including certificate of award for the MBE (signed by Queen Mary), invitation to the Investure at Buckingham Palace, letters dated August 1946 confirming that the MBE has been sent to him as well as a Buckingham Palace letter from the King (printed) regretting the fact that he was unable to give Embury the award personally.

In 1942 the Turkish Government issued summons against the British Legation members for damage of property. The British response was to recommend to the individuals to not defend the action. Motivated by technical reason of the fact that the summons was served on them through His Majesty's Consul at Mersin instead of by way of publication.

The real reasons are reflected in the subsequent letter to Mr. Embury.

On 5 June, 1942Mr. Embury, then with the British Legation in Teheran, received a letter from the British Embassy in Angora (Turkey).

In response to a summons sent by the Turkish Government to Mr. Embury, and other defendants, in connection with the bomb explosion, Mr. Anthony Eden's Foreign Office advises:

"For reasons given below. it seems undesirable that action should be defended."......

"An unsuccessful defence would involve worst political consequences and probability that Turkish judgment could be enforced against defendants in England.".......

"His Majesty's Government's declared attitude with regard to this matter, that is, that responsibility rested with Bulgarian Government, to whom claims for compensation be addressed." ......

More suggestions in the letter that an undefended summons would not be enforceable in England and therefore could not be executed unless the defendants possessed property in Turkey and/or in future decide to travel to Turkey without the privilege of Diplomatic immunity.

(Original letter below)

After the war and right through to the late 1960's Mr Embury received correspondence from the British Foreign Office in London keeping him informed and advising him not to travel to Turkey.

In a letter from the British Embassy in Ankara, dated 4th September 1948:

"In the circumstances, it would be most unwise for you to visit Turkey as you would almost certainly become involved in the interminable court proceedings and you would be unlikely to be allowed to leave the country until they are over."

(Original letter below)

On 8 March 1967 he was advised in a letter from the Foreign Office:

"I am writing to let you that some time ago Mr. Kiciman, a member of the Turkish Embassy in London, conveyed to us a request from the court of First Instance in Istanbul for your present address and occupation. Mr. Kiciman explained that the Court wanted this information in order to inform you about a lawsuit for damages which had apparently been instituted against yourself and four other persons (Sir G. Rendel, Mr. T.V. Brenan, Mr. Stanley Harrison and Mr. David de Bettel), whose addresses and occupations were also required by the court for the same purpose......."

"After consulting our legal advisors, we indormed Mr. Kiciman orally that you and the other persons concerned had all retired and we had no knowledge of your present whereabouts......"

Despite this reassurung information, you may think it prudent not to visit Turkey for the time being."

This was in 1967 !

(Original letter below)

In 1943, after having been removed from Turkey, Stanley Embury took up position in Palestine.

In a letter from DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE SOVIET TRANSPORTATION DIRECTORATE, Tehran, Iran, 30 December, 1943:

New year wishes for 1944

"....hope that in 1944 we shall have just the same close contact in the great work which is being carried on here by the British, Russian and American Armies...."

"...May the coming year bring the complete victory of the Allies over our mutual enemy !"

1 comment:

Whilst visiting Turkey, I did some family history research for my brother-in-law's side of the family. One thing that came out of this was details of a family member who worked in reception at the Pera Palas Hotel, killed during this explosion.